A married couple in Germany are taking legal action because they say they are being disturbed by a Borussia Dortmund flag flying in a neighbour's garden.

A spokesman for Arnsberg administrative court, Klaus Buter, declined to name the couple, in line with German privacy regulations. He said on Friday that the case will not be heard for a few months, "until summer at the earliest".

The local Der Westen newspaper identified the couple as Jutta and Walter H from the town of Hemer, about 16 miles south-east of Dortmund.

They said the sound of the black-and-yellow banner flapping prevents them from reading a book in peace. "I couldn't care less what is hanging there, it's a nuisance," Jutta H told the newspaper.

Her husband said the complaint had nothing to do with the team. He said he is a Duisburg fan but has not been to a game since the late 1970s. "This is only about the inconvenience," the 62-year-old man said.

A spokesman for Dortmund, Sascha Fligge, said the club stays out of disputes among neighbours.